An Assessment of the Soil Quality Index in a Mediterranean Agro Ecosystem

Vassilios Triantafyllidis; Achilleas Kontogeorgosa Chariklia Kosma; Angelos Patakas

doi:10.9755/ejfa.2018.v30.i12.1886

Authors

Vassilios Triantafyllidis Department of Business Administration of Food and Agricultural Enterprises, University of Patras, Greece
Achilleas Kontogeorgosa Chariklia Kosma Department of Business Administration of Food and Agricultural Enterprises, University of Patras, Greece
Angelos Patakas Department of Business Administration of Food and Agricultural Enterprises, University of Patras, Greece

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.9755/ejfa.2018.v30.i12.1886

Keywords:

Soil health, Soil quality index, Principal component analysis, Soil texture, Sustainability

Abstract

Soil quality is a complex functional concept, which cannot be measured directly but only be inferred from both soil characteristics and cultivation practices. Among different approaches used, Soil Quality Index (SQI) is considered to be the most appropriate for quantitative assessment of soil quality. Since, there is no standard method for SQI estimation, the aim of this study is to identify soil quality parameters that could be used for the development of reliable SQI which could be effectively applied in Mediterranean ecosystems. Three different methods resulting in different SQIs were evaluated regarding their ability to monitor changes in agricultural soil properties over time. Overall, a set of soil’s parameters was used as soil health indicators (pH, CaCO₃, EC, NO₃-N, P, K, Mg, Cu, B, Zn, Fe, Mn, Silt, Clay, Sand and SOC) derived from 605 soil samples used to calculate the above SQIs. The most reliable SQI to distinguish the effect of the examined parameters was the weighted additive approach. These 16 soil indicators can be used as decision support tool for soil management practices, as well as indirect measures of soil function, serving to assess soil health for a sustainable Mediterranean agro-environment.